Video draw poker is a popular casino game. Players spend hours wagering on the game, largely due to tradition and simplicity of the basic rules. That said, deciding which cards to discard on the deal can be challenging, especially for newer players. In a simple game such as Jacks or Better, players must play for the best paying hand with the best chance of receiving any required cards on the draw to achieve the maximum possible awards. Sometimes, deciding which cards to hold and which cards to discard is counter intuitive. That is, sometimes it is more advantageous to go for a higher paying hand even though a player is less likely to achieve it then a lower paying hand.
Also, video poker is a comparatively slow game with an average speed of 6 seconds per game. Because many of the paytables preferred by players don't allow for a large hold percentage (%), casinos often find it difficult to earn enough revenue to justify offering the game. Simple “jacks or better” draw poker, for example, holds only about 0.5% when configured with a 6/9 paytable (that is a paytable that pays 6 times the player's wager for a flush and 9 times a player's wager for a full house) and the player playing the best theoretical strategy. Given that the most popular poker games are played with a typical $1.25 wager, and with only 600 decisions per hour, the casino's profit may amount to only $1.25*600*0.5%=$3.75 per hour.
In order to earn a reasonable return, casinos must cut the amounts awarded for many jackpots, which in turn decreases player interest in the game. Hence, there exists a need for a video poker game that eliminates the drudgery of playing for small wins and simultaneously provides the standard games and paytables players prefer while increasing the hourly profits earned by casinos.